Coal-chute attachment



H. E. DOWNER. COAL CHUTE ATTACHMENT, APFLI CATION FILED SEPT. v9| l92l.

Patented. Feb. 21, 1922.

' lwuemtoz a@ www f he@ HENRY En Donata 0F PliiNCerON. @more COAL-onore ATTACHMENT.

weie-i Specification of Letters fatent.

Patented Feb. 2t, 19223.

Application filed September 9, 1921. Serial No. 439,511.

To all whom t may concern.'

ABe it known that HENRY E. DOWNER, citizen of the United States, residing' at Princeton, in the county of Bureau and State of illinois, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Chute Attachments, of which the following is a specication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to coal chute at-V tachments and has for its object to provide a device of this character comprising a horizontally disposed platform on which the end of the coal chute is disposed, said platform beyond the end of the coal chute being provided with a horizontally disposed segmentally shaped deflecting plate for deflect-ing the coal to either side of the platform, according to the position of the segmentally shaped plate, thereby allowing the coal to be distributed in the cellar as desired.

A vfurther object is to Vprovide a vertically ,disposed frame adapted to be disposed beneath the inclined chute adjacent a window, said frame having vertically disposed bars to the upper ends of which a chain is fastened, which chain engages under the coal chute and is held in engagement therewith by means of cables passing through blocks supported on the chute, said cables passing through eyes adjacent the lower end of the frame. Also tor support the horizontally disposed platform from the lower end of the frame and from a transversely disposed member pivoted to the lower endv of the frame, said platform being locked at various angles in relation to the frame by a notched brace.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set Y forth, shown in the drawings, described, and

claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Figure l is a perspective view of the chute attachment showing the same attached to a coal chute.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the outer end of the horizontally disposed member, showing the scgmentally shaped detlecting member in reverse position to that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view through one of the u rights of the frame, showing the notched race and means for locking said notched brace in adjusted position. Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a cellar window, and 2 a coal chute extending downwardly and inwardly from said window. It has been found that ordlnarily when coal is discharged into a cellar through a chute, that the coal is deposited in one position, and that it becomes necessary for the operator to shovel the coal to the desired position on either'side ofy the chute for proper distribution of the coal within the cellar. To obviate the above dificulty a horizontally disposed platform 8 is provided on which platform the discharge end 4 of the chute 2 rests between side boards 5, which boards prevent the coal as it leaves the lower end 4 of the chute from side movement, also form means for cooperating with the sides of the chute 2 for preventing lateral movement of the platform and at the same time form means for guiding the coal as it moves by gravity and momentum into engagement with the horizontally disposed segmentally shaped defiecting plate 6, which plate is diagonally disposed on the platform- 3 and has its ends detachably connected by means of bolts 7 to the platform, which bolts pass through sleeves 7al carried by the ends of the plate 6. Y It will be seen that as the coal engages the segmentally shaped plate 6 that it will bev deflected in the direction of the arrow L and discharged to one side of the platform 3 and to one side of the chute 2. The outer bolt 7 passes through one of the apertures 8 in one of the corners of the platform 3 and has threaded thereon a butterfly nut 9, thereby allowing the bolt to be easily removed when it is desired to position the deflecting plate 6 in the reverse position as shown in Figure 2 for discharging the coal to the opposite side of the platform 3 in the direction of the arrow b. The inner bolt passes through apertures l0 in cleats ll carried by the jilatform 3 and are provided with butterfly nuts l2 by means of which butterfly nuts the bolts 7 and consequently the defiecting plates 6 will be securely held in place. It will be seen that a segmentally shaped deiiecting plate 6 may be easily and quickly reversed when desired to change the direction of discharge of the coal, and that the coal may be properly deflected in such a manner that it will not pile in front of the chute and may be so deflected that it will be properly stored.

'v Extending rearwardly from the platform 3 are bars 13, which bars are secured at 14 to a transversely disposed bar 15. The bar 15 is provided with upwardly extending lugs 16, which lugs have pivoted at 17 thereto vertically disposed bars 18, which are in parallel relation to each other, and which in connection with thev braces 19 form a substantially vertically disposed frame 20. Pivotally connected to the platform 3 at 21 is an upwardly and rearwardly extending arm 22, which arm is a brace arm and is provided with teeth 23, between which teeth a tooth 24 carried in an aperture 25 in one of the vertically disposed bars 18 is received and the bars 22 locked by a pivoted latch 2G. lt will be seen that by adjusting the toothed bar 22 that the platform 3 may be placed in various angled positions by the adjustment of said toothed bar and heldtherein. Also that the frame 20 will be held rigidly against movement on its pivotal points 17.

After the frame 20 hasbeen properly positioned and the platform 3 properly positioned in relation to the frame 20, the upper ends 26 are disposed on each side of the chute 2 and then the hooks 27 of the blocks 28 hooked over the sides 2a of the chute 2. The cables 29 carried by said blocks eX- tend from their securing point 30 to the blocks, thence downwardly through eyes 31 carried by the lugs 16. It will be seen that when a pull is nnparted on the portions 32V of the cables that the frame as a whole will be forced upwardly until the chain 33 which is provided with slack and has its ends connected at 34 to the upper ends of the verti-' cal bars 18 will be forced into engagement with the under face of the chute 2, which will securely hold the frame in engagement with the chute and against movement and the platform 3 in close engagement with the discharge end 4, of the chute. If so desired the cables may have their portions 32 secured to cleats 35 carried by the platform 3. It will be seen that the hooks 27 carried by the blocks 28 are so positioned that pressure may be so applied to the chute 2 at points between the engaging point of the chain 33 with the under side of the chute and the engagement of the platform 3 with the underside of the -discharge end l of the chute, that the attachment may be. rigidly connected to the chute and suspended therefrom. However, it is to bc understood that the device as a whole may rest upon the floor of the cellar if so desired.l

From the aboveit will be seen that a coal chute attachment is provided which may be easily and quickly applied to a coal chute, and one wherein it will be possible to defleet the coal to either side of the chute for the platform and positioned diagonally on the platform in front of the discharge end of the chute.

2. yThe combination with a coal chute, of a horizontallyk disposed platform detachably connected to said chute', means carried by said platform forwardly of the chute whereby coal may be deflected'to either side of the platform, and upwardly extending members Vcarried by the platform adjacent the discharge end of thechute'and forming means for preventing lateral displacement of the platform and guiding discharged coal into engagement with the deflecting means.

3. A coal deflector for inclined chutes, said deflector comprising a horizontally disposed platform engaging the discharge end of the chute, means carried` by said platform forwardly of the discharge end of the chute whereby coal may be discharged to either'side of the chute, the rear end of said platform being pivotally mounted to a vertically disposed'frane formed from spaced bars connected together, said bars being provided with a cradle for the chute formed from a slacked chain,.an adjustable brace member pivotcd to the platform and provided with teeth cooperating with a tooth in one of the bars of the frame and block and falls connected'to the rear end of the platform and to the chute and forming means whereby the platform and frame will be securely held on the chute.

1l. A deflecting attachment for inclined coal chutes, said attachment comprising a horizontally disposed platform, the 'forward `end of said platform extending forwardly of the discharge end of the chute, a horizontally disposed sementally shaped defleeting plate Vdiagonally disposed on the platform forwardlyof the chute, and means carried byV said platform and byV said delecting Aplate whereby sai-d deflecting plate may be positioned in reversed diagonal position on the platform, said means compris,l ing vertically disposed bolts carried by the platform and vertically disposed sleeves carried by the ends of the detlecting plate.

ln testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

HENRY ED DOWNER. 

